A spokesman tells TradeWinds that someof the tourists on board the 2,260-teu CMA CGM FortSte Marie (built 2003) chose to disembark in Brest while othershopped on another ship that was hired to plug the gap in a rotation that links LeHavre to the French West Indies.
The company declined to elaboratefurther and didn’t shed light on how travellers were impacted but a brochuresays the ship and others in the loop have enough cabins to accommodate up to 12passengers.
At a cost of around $135 per day perperson ,a travel agent contacted by TradeWinds says the so-called “Voyage Atlantique” cargo cruise packageprobably cost around $3,780 in total for each of the tourists.
The breakdown of the Fort Ste Marie and recentcitations fordeficiencies tied to MarpolAnnex IV, a set of rules that relate to the discharge of sewage at sea, hascast a new light on a unique sector of the industry that isn’t alwaysglamorous.
Inone cargo cruise brochure CMA CGM offers travelers “the possibility to live aunique and unforgettable experience by discovering oceans, seas and continentsto the beat of international trade and involving themselves in the life onboard by sharing the crew’s everyday life”.
Itdoes not mention breakdowns, problematic port inspections or many of the othergrim realities related to life at sea.
